is not at all dissimilar from the frequent reasoning used
by people looking at standard e-bikes—their significant
other. Although some people snicker at the notion of a guy
looking at an e-bike for his wife or girlfriend, it actually says
something about the ability of a bicycle to provide a shared
experience between a couple—perhaps the modern-day
equivalent of marriage counseling!

Wally also mentioned he has helped equip people who
have suffered from a stroke where half of their body is either
partially or totally paralyzed, and they’ve come away praising
both the stability and pedal-assist features of the e-trike for
providing them with a new level of mobility. These same
customers told Wally that before they tried the e-trike, they
felt as if they were destined to remain in what felt like a cage
of inactivity without any hope of enjoying the great outdoors.

Wally also offers an aftermarket BionX kit that can alsobe installed on a wide variety of pre-owned, bikes thatcustomers may already have in their garages. The units areoffered with various levels of battery life, wattage and priceranges. A popular long range model is capable of up toabout 65 miles at a 20-mph pace, and features 15 percentregenerative braking where the system recharges as youapply the brakes on descents. Another helpful feature formany e-trike riders is the hand-operated throttle for thosesteep hills and gradual grades that make it too challenging toturn the pedals.

Besides just offering the BionX-powered e-trike, Wally
is currently in negotiations to become a dealer and tech
center for the new Copenhagen Wheel, which is a wireless
rear-wheel hub motor system that can be programmed with
the Apple iPhone. Wally was excited at the prospect of this
type of advancing technology, as it will not only be a new
revolution to his electric-assist fleet, but it should also keep
things simple while making the cost more affordable for the
customer. ■